Baroness Amos: The current concentration of British troops in Helmand province has not diverted DfID's attention from reconstruction and development throughout Afghanistan. Afghanistan is DfID's fifth largest programme and the UK is Afghanistan's second largest bilateral donor, with a planned spend of £102 million in 2006-07. Over 70 per cent of our assistance goes directly to the Government of Afghanistan in support of their own priorities. This includes support for the Government's national priority programmes, which operate throughout the country. For example, the national solidarity programme (NSP) operates in all 34 provinces of Afghanistan. It has helped to establish over 16,000 community development councils (to identify local needs) and has funded over 22,000 projects in areas including agriculture, education, health, irrigation and transport.
	Helmand is a priority for the Governments of both Afghanistan and the UK. We have committed up to £20 million a year to support development in the province. This will help to build the capacity of Afghan institutions and promote economic and social development. The major obstacle to reconstruction and development in Helmand is the lack of security. The presence of the British military, in support of the Afghanistan national security forces, will help to overcome that obstacle and establish a better environment for the effective implementation of the Government of Afghanistan's national priority programmes.

Baroness Amos: The UK is working closely with German and other G8 colleagues to ensure a strong focus on Africa at the Heiligendamm Summit in June. This will build on earlier G8 commitments to support investment and development in Africa, particularly those made at Gleneagles.
	Africa's prospects have improved significantly over recent years, with average growth reaching 5.5 per cent in 2005. However, longer-term projections are uncertain. We will, therefore, highlight the importance of efforts to support sustained positive growth. We will emphasise fundamental requirements such as good financial governance, strengthened financial markets and a more conducive investment climate. We will also encourage continued G8 support to related Gleneagles initiatives, such as the Investment Climate Facility, the Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund and the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa.

Lord Rooker: The UK Government did press other member states and the European Commission to extend indefinitely the ban on the commercial importation of wildbirds, with exceptions for recognised international conservation programmes. The European Union has voted for an indefinite ban on animal health grounds. The UK could not, however, press for a ban on welfare grounds, as this would not comply with World Trade Organisation agreements.

Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government:
	What information they have received about the charges made against the chairman of the banned Bahrain Centre for Human Rights and Mr Hassan Mushaima, leader of Haq Movement of Liberties and Democracy, in Bahrain; and about the right ofa person whose offence consists of distributing literature criticising the Government to challenge his prosecution as a violation of Article 19 of the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Information in relation to the number of orders for no costs and the average legal costs in environmental cases is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The amount spent on legal aid is not available, as the Legal Services Commission's information systems do not go down to this level of detail.
	The net change in the gross income limit for civil legal aid since it was introduced in 2001 to the present is £4,200 per annum (from December 2001 until August 2002, the limit was £24,000 per annum and, from April 2006 to date, it has been £28,200). If the applicant has income in excess of the limit, funding is refused. If income is at or below the gross income limit, the Legal Services Commission assesses the applicant's disposable income to determine whether they are eligible for civil legal aid.
	For criminal legal aid, a different system is in place. From 2 October 2006, where the proceedings are in the magistrates' court, the defendant must satisfy a new means test. An individual is financially eligible for a representation order if his gross annual income, adjusted to take account of any partner or children, is £11,590 or less, and ineligible if it is £20,740 or more. Those applicants whose adjusted income falls within the two thresholds are subject to a more detailed assessment of their disposable income in order to determine their financial eligibility under the new scheme. Legal aid applications for defendants appearing before the Crown Court are not currently means-tested.

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Lord Rooker: The fishery at Strathy Point operates bag nets, not drift nets. Drift-net fishing has been unlawful in Scotland since 1962. However, the lease of the salmon fishery at Strathy expires in November 2007, and the Scottish Executive, which owns the fishing rights at Strathy, has decided not to renew the lease.

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Information will be included in the evaluation report when it is published. The response of the immigration Minister (Liam Byrne) to Annette Brooke MP (PQ 108864, 11/12/06) estimated that 30 families had had their asylum support withdrawn under the provisions of Schedule 3 to the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Baroness Amos: The United Kingdom drafted and sponsored Security Council Resolution 1740 establishing a special United Nations political mission to Nepal. We strongly support the work of United Nations Mission in Nepal. The United Nations Mission in Nepal is an expression of the whole international community's commitment to help Nepal to recover from conflict and to establish a peaceful, stable democracy.
	We understand that the United States assistance to the United Nations Mission in Nepal is channelled through the United Nations Security Council. There is no indication of reductions to the United Nations Mission in Nepal at this stage. The overall US assistance to Nepal during 2005-06 was US$50 million andis likely to be in the range of US$38 million toUS$40 million in 2007-08, with possibilities of further commitments later.
	The United Kingdom support to the United Nations Mission in Nepal has been through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool and we have committed £1.4 million. Our contributions will support the peace process, verification of Maoist combatants, arms monitoring, constitutional support and technical assistance.